C2363 The Gathering of the Gods

In the Otherworld, the name of Stephanie, the God of Destiny, was known far and wide.

Upon realizing that the blonde woman he spoke of was the spiritual leader of both the Primal Beasts and the Primal Gods of this realm, Zhong Chichen quickly reined in his reckless demeanor and bowed profusely in apology, "Please forgive my transgression, my Lord!"

Stephanie had selflessly shared the method of refining Primal Anima with all beings across the heavens, enabling the intelligent life of various worlds to break free from the bondage of the Primal Anima.

Thus, creatures like Dickinson and the Malformed Horror held Stephanie in high esteem.

This was a level of reverence that Heesters could not command.

Zhong Chichen's time in the Otherworld had been brief, with much of it spent in the Void. He had only heard of the God of Destiny by name and had never encountered the Sage in person.

As he made his apology, he was tempted to take a closer look at Stephanie's visage, but felt that even this would be sacrilegious.

So, Zhong Chichen kept his gaze lowered.

Stephanie glanced at him and, pleased with his respectful posture, smiled and dismissed his concern with a wave, "Ignorance is no crime."

Zhong Chichen breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's hesitation, he raised his head to address Heesters in a soft voice, "I can now attempt to forge a new void passageway to establish a connection with the Origin Realm and the Wasteland."

He had spent time reflecting and had largely integrated the Void Rules imparted to him by Devitt, the Space God.

Furthermore, he had gleaned profound insights into the powers of time from the Book of Time.

With the outside world advancing ten days for every one day spent in the book, his abilities had surged rapidly, and he was eager to demonstrate his newfound power.

"Your aptitude is indeed remarkable. It's no surprise that Devitt insisted on bringing you back to the Void Domain after choosing you," Heesters remarked with a hint of surprise. The pendulum on his forehead materialized, casting a soft glow over Zhong Chichen.

He observed the numerous bloodline chains within Zhong Chichen's meridians, intricately linked to time and space.

"I wasn't mistaken about you either!"

Heesters nodded in approval, expressing satisfaction with Zhong Chichen's progress: "My visit here was well justified."

"Then..."

Heesters turned the pages of the Book of Time and gazed back in the direction from which they had come, contemplating whether to return to the spring and give Zhong Chichen a chance to try.

If the Domain of Origin, the Wasteland, and the Origin Realm were interconnected, my old friend Bertain could come over, along with Harris, the God of Oblivion, and Kurkova, the Death God, all returning from the Origin Realm.

What's more, Yu Yuan's two bodies, left behind in the Origin Realm and the Wasteland, could also make their way here.

Heesters, having briefly experienced the might of Yu Yuan through the River of Time, understood the extent of his terror.

He had the sense that either of the Yu Yuans from the Origin Realm or the Wasteland could match the God of Destiny, Stephanie, in combat prowess.

With the aid of those two Yu Yuans, the Spirit of Creation's cataclysmic plans for the Domain of Origin might stand a better chance of being thwarted.

"It's futile," Stephanie interjected abruptly.

Heesters, looking perplexed, inquired, "He's a sovereign of space magic. With the power at his command, he should be able to forge a link between the Origin Realm and the Wasteland."

"The one who slew Devitt is now in the Domain of Origin. Unless this little dragon can outmatch him, no new pathways will open," Stephanie countered, quelling the group's fervor.

Zhong Chichen expressed his resignation, "Surpassing him? I truly lack the confidence at present."

"In truth, there's no longer any need for a void passage. Once the Spirit of Creation decides to initiate the merging of worlds, most of the extraordinary realms will gradually integrate into the Domain of Origin," Stephanie revealed, stunning everyone, and added, "The Origin Realm will certainly not be an exception."

At these words, the assembly was rocked to its core, and Yu Yuan turned sharply towards her.

"What?" he exclaimed.

Upon their arrival in the Domain of Origin, they had encountered deities from other realms and extraordinary beings like Stephanie and Heesters. Even the usually reticent God-King Taishi couldn't contain himself, exclaiming, "Could it be that the Origin Realm and the Wasteland originally split off from the Domain of Origin?"

"I believe that's the case," Stephanie answered vaguely, then turned to Heesters, "How soon until your hourglass arrives?"

"Very soon," he replied.

"Good, we'll wait for your hourglass to arrive."

After this exchange, the two otherworldly figures lapsed into contemplation.

Yu Yuan, Taishi, Youyu, Qi Yunhong, along with the Malformed Horror and the Primal Beasts, were left disoriented by Stephanie's revelation, each falling into a reflective silence.

If the Origin Realm and the Wasteland were to eventually become part of the Domain of Origin and merge with this world, then Yu Yuan's two bodies would naturally be able to reach the Domain of Origin. There was no need for Zhong Chichen's intervention; it was simply a question of when.

Subsequently, everyone waited patiently in front of the Genesis Nebula for Heesters to turn the sands of time.

Yu Yuan, meanwhile, was far from idle. He released strands of vital energy infused with Divine Sense, which condensed into streaks of scarlet lightning. His essence entered the Genesis Nebula ahead of his physical form, speeding through the enigmatic and complex hidden place.

He soon came to realize that the Genesis Nebula was far more expansive than he had anticipated. The vital energy that he could swiftly traverse across the various Astral Domains of the Origin Realm and the Wasteland proved to have a very limited scope once it entered the Genesis Nebula.

Moreover, it wasn't long before the vital energy he had sent out seemed to be assimilated by the Genesis Nebula, blending into the Nebula's immense energy.

"The Origin Realm and the Wasteland combined might not even match the vastness of this Genesis Nebula," he speculated to Taishi and Youyu.

"You might as well include the Abyss. Even all three worlds together would still fall short of the Genesis Nebula," Stephanie added, turning to face them. "And while the Genesis Nebula is indeed the most mysterious and largest region within the Domain of Origin, it does not encompass the entirety of the Domain."

Everyone was visibly astonished.

The sheer scale of the Genesis Nebula surpassed that of the Abyss, Origin Realm, and Wasteland. Just how immense was the Domain of Origin?

It's no wonder that it's said most external worlds originated from the Domain of Origin, having separated from it.

Days later, a gargantuan turtle with a dark red shell approached breathlessly from the direction of the spring.

Upon sighting Heesters, it called out from a distance, "Lord Heesters!"

"The God of Fear, Tu Yan!"

Malformed Horror cast a stern glance at the newcomer and informed Yu Yuan, "Like Dickinson, this Tu Yan has also transformed from an alien beast into a deity, known as a Primal Beast."

Yu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment. As the dark red Primal Beast drew near, he synchronized with a creature from his inner blood source storage.

The cosmic giant beast of the Origin Realm, the Titan Turtle, shared a similar bloodline to that of Tu Yan.

Upon Tu Yan's arrival, Heesters sensed something and inquired, "What happened to the Spirit of Fear within you?"

"After the Domain of Origin was revived, it attempted to take over my body. I endured a fierce struggle and managed to fend off its possession. Realizing it couldn't dominate me, it eventually left my body," Tu Yan responded with deference.

Suddenly, he noticed the presence of the God of Destiny and quickly bowed, saying, "Lady Stephanie, I had no idea you were here. I was too distant earlier and failed to notice you. Please accept my apologies."

Stephanie remained focused on the Genesis Nebula, seemingly oblivious to his plea for forgiveness.

Tu Yan was visibly shaken, his speech faltering as he conversed with Heesters and the Malformed Horror.

Heesters posed several more questions to him, and as Tu Yan stammered through his responses, he kept stealing glances at Stephanie, clearly intimidated by the God of Destiny.

Yu Yuan observed the exchange with keen interest.

"It appears that the gods scattered throughout the various worlds are gradually converging in the Domain of Origin for a multitude of reasons," Heesters concluded after a thorough discussion with Tu Yan. He discovered that the deities of thirty-six worlds had been drawn into the Domain of Origin while navigating the void.

Interestingly, some gods had reached the Domain of Origin even before Heesters and Yu Yuan.

What puzzled them was that despite having soared through the Domain of Origin for quite some time, Heesters, Yu Yuan, and Stephanie had not encountered any of these earlier arrivals, nor had they seen any signs of their presence.

"They may have perished, or after being possessed, turned into puppets of the Primal Anima."

Tu Yan's eyes swirled with dread as he spoke, "Only the strong and fortunate can contend with the Primal Anima and force it out of their bodies."

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